Engineering Controls Database
Control of Lead and Noise in Indoor Firing Ranges
| Indoor firing ranges are popular among law enforcement and recreational shooters because they offer protection from inclement weather conditions and can be operated around the clock under controlled environmental conditions. NIOSH estimates that 16,000 to 18,000 firing ranges operate in the United States. However, many firing range facilities lack environmental and occupational controls to protect the health of shooters and range personnel from effects of airborne lead, noise, and other potential exposures. | |
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Workers can be exposed to lead through inhalation of fumes and dusts, as well as through ingestion as a result of lead-contaminated hands, food, drinks, cosmetics, tobacco products, and clothing. Furthermore, workers can take lead home on their clothes, skin, hair, tools, and in their vehicles. Symptoms of lead poisoning include weakness, excessive tiredness, irritability, constipation, anorexia, abdominal discomfort (colic), fine tremors, and wrist drop. Additionally, damage to the kidneys and the nervous system, anemia, high blood pressure, impotence, infertility, and reduced sex drive can also occur with overexposure to lead. Lead poisoning, neurological effects, and mental retardation have occurred in the children of workers. The discharge of firearms in an indoor firing range produces peak noise levels that exceed the occupational health limits of 140 dB SPL. Exposure to high levels of noise can lead to the following: • Hearing loss • Tinnitus (ringing in the ear, which might be permanent) • Stress • Anxiety • High blood pressure • Gastro-intestinal problems • Chronic fatigue |
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NIOSH recently issued an Alert(1), Preventing Occupational Exposures to Lead and Noise at Indoor Firing Ranges. The Alert presents five case reports that document lead and noise exposures and examines firing range operations, exposure assessment and control methods, existing regulations, and exposure standards and guidelines. Detailed recommendations for employers and workers are available in the Alert. In brief, controlling exposures to occupational hazards is the fundamental method of protecting workers. Traditionally, NIOSH uses a hierarchy of controls to reduce or eliminate workplace hazards: 1. Elimination of the hazard 2. Substitution of a less hazardous material 3. Engineering controls 4. Administrative controls (to reduce time of exposure) 5. Personal protective equipment Proper ventilation, good housekeeping practices, and basic personal hygiene practices will limit or eliminate the risk of lead exposure. Examples of NIOSH recommendations for workers include the following: • Wear respirators and full protective outer clothing when performing range maintenance. • Wear gloves and eye protection when using chemicals to clean weapons or firing range surfaces. • Wash hands, forearms, and face before eating, drinking, smoking, or contact with other people. • Change clothes and shoes before leaving the firing range facilities. • Wash clothes or uniforms used at the firing range separately from family's clothing. NIOSH recommends that workers and shooters who use a firing range as part of their occupation (e.g., law enforcement officers) wear double hearing protection (earplugs and earmuffs) as part of an overall hearing conservation program. Special attention must be paid to the use of safety glasses under earmuffs so not to create an acoustical leak and degrade the performance of the hearing protectors.  (1)NIOSH [1996]: NIOSH alert: Preventing occupational exposures to lead and noise at indoor firing ranges. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2009-136. |
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| 189-05A; 189-05B; 189-05C; 189-05D; 189-05E; 189-05F; 189-05G; | |
| NIOSH [1996]: NIOSH alert: Preventing occupational exposures to lead and noise at indoor firing ranges. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2009-136. | |
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firing range indoor firing ranges law officers target shooters |